Marketing assistant

Reference Number: ST0807

Details of standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in every sector and industry including manufacturing, retail, IT, automotive, service industries (financial services, health care, professional services, etc), and across large, medium and small commercial, public sector and not-for-profit organisations. Roles can sit within a specific company/agency that provides marketing deliverables and advice to external clients, or within an internal marketing team, delivering marketing activities to drive that business.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to support customer focussed marketing activities that drive the demand for a product or service through awareness raising and/or perception building to generate results to the bottom line. As part of the Marketing team the Marketing Assistant will contribute to the implementation of the Marketing strategy and plans. They will be responsible for delivering day-to-day marketing activities across a multitude of platforms, channels and systems that are essential to the Marketing function and activities of the company.

It is typically the entry route for many Marketing professionals who progress their career into more senior marketing positions. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with a wide range of internal colleagues and external marketing suppliers. Depending on the size and structure of the organisation, this could include collaboration with colleagues from sales, operations, PR, IT, the customer insight team and finance as well as interaction externally with clients/customers and suppliers such as printers, digital agencies, PR and media agencies, event display companies, market research agencies, and media sales professionals.

The role is likely to be primarily office-based, although they may spend time away from the office attending exhibitions and events, meetings with external marketing suppliers, marketing research suppliers, visiting clients, trade shows, or supporting research activities. An employee in this occupation will be responsible for coordinating and delivering specific marketing activities which could include, but are not limited to, marketing content creation, background market and customer research, monitoring campaign analytic and collecting data, using relevant marketing software/systems, maintaining marketing administration activities such as managing the supply of marketing literature, tracking marketing expenditure, supporting the procurement of, and overseeing the delivery of work by external and internal marketing suppliers. The level of supervision is likely to vary for each employer, with the level of autonomy varying by size of organisation and marketing function. Typically they would be the first point of contact for day-to-day activities in the marketing function, and supervised by a member of staff with greater marketing skills, knowledge and experience.

Depending on the size of the organisation and its Marketing function, the Marketing Assistant may report into a Marketing Executive, a Marketing Manager, Marketing Director or (in small organisations) an Sales/Operational Manager or Managing Director.

Typical job titles

Marketing Assistant; Marketing Communications Assistant; Marketing Campaigns Assistant; Brand Assistant; Promotional Assistant.

Occupation duties

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Marketing theory, concepts and basic principles e.g., what marketing is, the marketing mix (7Ps: product, price, place, promotion, physical environment, process, people), the promotional mix and the difference between its elements (advertising, sales, public relations etc), what a marketing plan is.

K2: Current technologies such as systems and software, that can help deliver effective marketing planning (research), delivery and evaluation

K3: Legislation and regulatory frameworks affecting marketing operations, e.g. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)/eprivacy, trading laws, copyright law, Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)

K4: Principles of Marketing ethics such as targeting vulnerable adults and children; principles of conducting marketing communications in a legal, decent and honest manner, advertising being clearly differentiated from news/entertainment, ensuring consumer data is never compromised and marketing strategies avoid stereotyping

K5: The Internal dependencies that positively and negatively influence the success of marketing, e.g. IT, finance, sales, operations

K6: Primary and secondary research and the different sources of primary and secondary research data

K7: Brand theory (positioning/value/identity/guidelines) to a basic level

K8: How marketing fits within organisational structures and processes

K9: How to brief and manage external marketing suppliers, and an understanding of the risks to ineffective briefing/management

K10: Copywriting and proofreading techniques

K11: Search engine optimisation techniques and effective video production and publishing practice

K12: The benefits of a customer relationship management system

K13: The benefits of marketing automation processes and systems

K14: The metrics relevant to the delivery and evaluation of marketing activity, and an understanding of which are most relevant to that activity

K15: Budgeting principles and good procurement practice

K16: Importance of planning and maintaining offline and digital assets

K17: Awareness of social media platforms appropriate to customer and business segments

K18: The customer journey and the customer segments relevant to their market

Skills

S1 Use research/survey software to gather audience insight and/or evaluation

S2 Applying creativity to use a website content management system to publish text, images and video/animated content

S3 Use a social media platform to publish text, images and video content

S4 Use high volume email delivery software to acquire and/or retain one or more market segments and understand the response

S5 Organise offline and digital assets in a coordinated and legally compliant way (there may be several pieces of legislation that a Marketing Assistant may need to comply with, these should be relevant to the sector they work in and the type of activity. Examples include GDPR; Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008; Consumer Credit Act; Copyright, Designs and Patents Act)

S6 Able to compile briefs for an external marketing supplier (e.g. printer/display stand producer/graphic designer etc) and oversee successful delivery in-line with specification

S7 Write persuasive text to meet a marketing communications objective, using common copywriting techniques such as adapting writing style to ensure it is appropriate to different channels in-line with organisational brand guidelines.

S8 Proofread marketing copy to ensure that it is accurate, persuasive and legally compliant and is on brand.

S9 Able to plan and coordinate a marketing activity (external and/or internal) comprising several different marketing tactics to acquire or retain one or more customer segments. Carries out the tasks within known resources.

S10 Analyse and present defined external and internal marketing data to inform discussions about planning, delivery and/or evaluation of marketing activities/brand performance.

S11 Spreadsheets – create and maintain spreadsheets using common business software, e.g. Excel, Numbers, in support of marketing activities (such as project/budget planning and monitoring, and to support organisation of marketing assets)

S12 Presentations – compile and present marketing information (e.g. to inform internal stakeholders of the results of a marketing tactic or present ideas for future marketing tactics) using common business software, e.g. PowerPoint. Basic presentation skills to deliver these findings.

S13 Compile a report from a marketing system/software, e.g. CRM, Google Analytics, Dotmailer

Behaviour

B1: Professional and customer focussed, shows commitment to putting the customer at the centre of marketing activities

B2: Apply ethical behaviour in planning, delivery and evaluation of marketing activity. Including carrying out activity in a way that values equality and diversity

B3: Commitment to continuous development of self and marketing activities through own initiative, within scope of own responsibility, keeping abreast of external developments including competitor and market trends

B4: Self motivated – takes responsibility for own actions

B5: Reflective and analytical, solving problems with internal and external sources of intelligence and data with a commitment to using evidence to support decisions.

B6: Collaborative, consultative and supportive to achieve marketing outcomes, good listener, shows empathy with the views of others

B7: Strong attention to detail

B8: Responsive and flexible, able to work at pace within deadlines balancing short and long term priorities (multitask)

B9: Shows creativity in their approach to work

Qualifications

English and Maths qualifications

Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment.  For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL. 

Professional recognition

Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) / This apprenticeship is designed to meet the requirements for registration as an Affiliate Member with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

Additional details

Occupational Level: 3
Duration (months): 18

Review

This standard will be reviewed after three years.

Crown copyright © 2019. You may re-use this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. Visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence